Ruth Ware is an automatic buy for me. The It Girl kept me guessing and quenched my school-drama with a bit of murder cravings.

This was a LONG book, and I don't think it needed to be that long. I liked the mystery part - beautiful April found dead in her dorm room - who did it and why? It seemed that the person that this was set up to make you think was the killer was obviously not, but what was the motive for someone else? There were a lot of red herrings and a lot of storylines that went absolutely nowhere... and if we got ride of some of that, it would have definitely been a shorter (and possibly more interesting) book.

I think the biggest issue for me is I just didn't like Hannah. She was whiny and dumb. She made a lot of dumb decisions and assumptions, and she kept saying that she was thinking of her baby... yet she definitely was NOT thinking of her baby for most of the book. Actually I think if she wasn't pregnant, this would be have been better. Because the pregnancy didn't add anything to the book, and it just made the things she did seem dumber and more reckless.

Overall, I was interested in finding out what happened, but I just couldn't like Hannah at all.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book. I enjoyed the characters and their arcs, and found the plot interesting. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I am catching up on an old arc. Storyline starts off with Hannah's arrival at Oxford University where she meets April and her friends. The story is a dual time line from Oxford and the murder of April to 10 years later. A journalist approaches Hannah and wants to know her feelings on the wrongful conviction of the murder who just died. In the past, I have loved Ruth Ware's books and have recommended them to my book club. I found this one repetitive and easy to figure out.
Thank you #NetGalley, #GalleryBooks, #RuthWare and #TheItGirl for the electronic copy for my honest review.

Woof. Ruth ware why are we such arch-nemesi? I should love you! An easy thriller. But nah. I just can’t get into these stories and the super contrived twists.

I usually love Ruth Ware's books, but I had trouble getting into this one, for some reason. It was hard to get into, harder to follow, and not very memorable to me. I found my mind wandering as I read it, and was a little disappointed in the ending, and the overall arc of the book. Again, Ruth Ware is typically a "go to" author for me, so this must have just been an "off book". Would definitely give another book a shot!

Thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for an advanced copy of his book in exchange for an honest review.

I was looking forward as I love Ruth’s books however it seemed childish and immature and unrealistic. I’m so sad because she is one of my favorite I feel like this book should have been scrapped

This is a solid read. The story revolves around a murder that occurred 10 years ago, but the man convicted died proclaiming his innocence, and the women' whose testimony got him convicted starts questioning what she witnessed. If she was wrong, she wants to make it right, even though her husband is opposed and she is about to have a baby. I liked the "Before" and "After" timeline. I liked all of the questions that pop up that need answers...and I did want those answers. Having said that, the main character Hannah was a bit much for me...like a fish on a line being drug back and forth with no real sense of what was happening or where things were going. She waffled all over the place and seemed to take unbelievable chances with a high-risk pregnancy. Overall, this will keep you interested and turning pages, but some of the characters are a bit tiresome. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing a digital ARC for review.

We love to see it. This is one of my favorite Ruth Ware books in a hot minute. Yes it is long, but I loved every minute of it. Love to see her tackling the academic setting. Yeah, some of our characters are frustrating, but is it really a compelling thriller without characters making bad choices? I would love to see more Dark Academia-esque books from Ware in the future.

Ruth Ware is one of the preeminent thriller authors of this generation and this book does not leave regret. A page turner for sure, that keeps you rapt until the last page.

I found this one to be too long and rather slow, however I did enjoy the back end of it and the twists. Not my favorite Ruth Ware book, but I will definitely continue reading her work.

I tried but just could not finish this one. I think maybe I have read too many academia's lately. I might try to go back to this one at a later time.

Ruth Ware is one of my favorite authors. I love her locked room mysteries. The It Girl is a dark academia book that has vibes similar to another popular mystery book. While the two books are similar, The It Girl was still unique and I was able to appreciate the differences in the two books. While the book is a tad long and could have been shorter, I still enjoyed it and will be recommending.

THE IT GIRL, though not my favorite by the author, was a compulsively addictive read. It never ceases to amaze me how Ware gifts her readers with such dark and twisty gems.

Super predictable. College friends go out one night. One ends up dead. Ten years later, the man convicted dies in prison. The girl who testified against him is having second thoughts which leads the real killer stalking her. Like I said....predictable.

Ruth Ware never disappoints. I feel like we can always rely on her for easy-to-read, entertaining thrillers. They're not always the most cerebral thrillers but I don't mean that as a diss -- they're great quick reads, escapist page-turners that'll leave you satisfied, and this one's no different.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thanks for ARC from NetGalley.

I really enjoyed the story. It had good twists with a good wrapup ending! Enjoy the characters and the college backdrop story.

Definitely one worth reading!

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for my advanced copy in exchange for a review.

To say that I am a huge Ruth Ware fan is an understatement. I have read all of her books, some multiple times. I must say that while The It Girl was a terrific read, it was slightly disappointing in the character development. The main character is rather winey and seems to blow things out of proportion. The girl she idolizes is a prima donna whom you can understand why she was murdered at several points during the book.

It is still a good read and worth your time, but not as good as her others.

#netgalleychallenge2024 #netgalley #gallerybooks #ruthware #theitgirl

This was predictable. Ware's writing will always be super accessible and, yes I will continue to read her books. This one just didn't thrill me like some of her earlier works.

It was slow going for me and didn't really pick up until probably around halfway. It's on the longer side and I did skim some stuff to move it along but it was a good story in the end and I am beginning to love Ruth Ware books.

Told in the 3rd person by Hannah ~ roommate of The It Girl, April, who was murdered in their dorm room. As the chapters go on and on and on and on we learn more and more about the jokester that April was. Although she was beautiful, rich and popular, she's not liked by everyone.

I am happy to report that I did not see who the murderer was coming. I had my ideas all along, but I'm delighted that I did not have it figured out.

The relationship between the two characters are what kept me going.

Thank you #NetGalley for an ARC.